Homage for the Suffering
by apollogirl7
Summary: Still in "warrior" training, Bertholdt and Annie are faced with a new experiment from their superiors. Three options are laid before them, become a test subject for muscle enhancing, endurance, or titan hybrid reproduction. Only it's not by choice which category they are thrown into.
1. Prologue

**Hey all, Missy here. This story is going to be a bit different from anything else I've written for here. It will be dark and it will be sad. Bertholdt and Annie are my OTP as of now. I love them so much and I wanted them to have some sort of story since we haven't heard from either in a few books in the manga. **

** So just an overview of this story and how I got the idea. I was on tumblr and came across a fan-drawn picture of Bertholdt and Annie's baby. I wanted that kid's story. And here I am writing it. To give a better idea of the world setting, they have not left for inside the walls yet, nor are they 12 when they do. Annie, Bert, and Reiner are all about 15/16, in this part at least, so older than the anime/manga. I was not okay with young Annie and Bert having babies, OKAY?! Also, they are in their "warrior" days, so world building will be my death. Oi. **

** This story might die out before I finish it. I have a general idea of what I want to happen, but I just don't know what kind of reception I'll get, ya feel me? I just kind of figured that this would be how the bad people who make titan shifters lives suck even more. Why not just stop at turning them into titans, but make them do the frick frack or whatever without consent? That sounds like evil masterminds to me. I also just wanted this idea out of my head!**

Prologue

The blond girl jogged to meet up with the large group in the courtyard. It was just minutes before supper, and already Annie's stomach growled in anticipation. _Hopefully this won't take too long_, she thought, clutching the fabric of her shirt. Over the building surrounding her, the sun still sprayed some light. The colors of the bricks nearly matched that of her hair.

Searching the crowd for a place to stand or a familiar face, Annie spotted the tallest person she knew. Towering over the heads of the other warriors Bertholdt stood. Next to him, Annie could make out the muscular build of Reiner, Bertl's and her best friend.

"Hey!" she called, pushing past annoyed girls and boys. Not many refused her advance. Annie was known for being a bit rough and was seen as someone to avoid conflict with. She could kick anyone's ass, even Reiner's.

Reiner heard her first, turning from his view of the main building in front of them. He grinned and leaned into Bertholdt's shoulder, nudging him. "Look, it's your girlfriend, Berty."

Bertl turned, his face bright red, and sweat dripping down to his chin. "She's not my girlfriend," he mumbled. "And don't call me Berty!"

Reiner laughed, but ignored Bertholdt's outburst to greet their shorter counterpart. "Hello, Annie."

Annie socked Reiner in the arm and he winced. Even though a brute, Reiner could not stand up to Annie. She looked up, way up, to give Bertholdt a small smile. "Do either of you know why we've been called here?"

Both boys shrugged and Annie sighed. It wasn't like this was common. Most meetings like this meant something big for the warriors of the titans. Being a titan shifter could go only one way after all. You go to battle and return a victor, or you get eaten so your skills could be passed on without using up the Officials time.

That's what the mysterious leaders called themselves: the Officials. Not a single warrior had ever met one or knew of their true purpose. The only thing that warriors did know was that being sent to the human world inside the walls was the best chance at avoiding their wrath.

Wall Maria was but a hop, skip, and jump from the current titan shifter territory. Yet their pitiful Recon Corps never figured that out. The enemy was right on top of them the whole time. Although, it wasn't like these young adults chose to be shifting monsters. No, that was forced on them from a young age with sharp needles, chemicals, and torture. Control was the key to conquer for them, so maintaining a human form under pain and pressure was a must.

Annie suddenly cringed. She remembered those days, the ones after her father practically abandoned her. The only thing she had of him was martial arts training and a cold heart. _Not completely cold_, she reminded herself.

A crackle echoed through the courtyard from the speakers. All chatter stopped instantly. Not a tow out of line. "Greetings," the mysterious voice boomed. "This is a special night for all of you."

Annie took a step forward so she had Bertholdt on her left and Reiner on her right. It was nerve racking enough standing between them; she did not want to stand alone.

"Your legion has been selected for a series of new tests. The first being a muscle enhancer for your titan forms. Only a select few will undergo this new procedure. Your names will be listed on the first page posted on the dining room doors." Annie and Bertholdt both looked to Reiner. He seemed slightly shaken. As one of the biggest titans, at least according to muscle, why would they need him to gain anymore?

"The second group will be sent on an endurance mission to test longevity of titan shifting under a new chemical compound. This list will be on the second page of the doors." There was an extended pause and mutters could be heard over the silence. It sounded like arguing. As if these people had morals to argue about. Finally the voice returned. "The last group will be put into male and female pairs. You will be expected to produce a hybrid titan offspring. We have been very selective as to who will be undergoing this task, choosing only those who we feel have compatible powers. The names will be listed on the last page on the doors. Have a good evening."

Annie couldn't move. Amongst her were murmurs of the legion. Many distraught faces peered around, trying to decipher who would be getting prodded with needles or prodded with…Annie shook her head. Would they make the pairs have sex?

And babies? These were all teens, ranging from 14 to 17 years old. What place did warriors have making children when there was a war with the humans?

"We should probably go check that list, huh?" Reiner pulled Annie from her thoughts and yanked on Bertholdt's arm. "Besides, I'm starving."

Annie gagged, her appetite long gone. She didn't want to see where her name was placed.

By the time the trio reached the dining hall, the crowd had dissipated from the large doors. Three white sheets of paper hung, one per door. Immediately Reiner went to the third list, muttering something about getting laid. Annie gawked at him, but then shook her head and marched to the first list, Bertholdt on her tail. Scanning the list, Annie felt her stomach drop. Her name was not there.

_No muscle enhancing. That's okay, my titan can go for hours. Maybe they can make me better…_

She moved to the second door and rolled her eyes over the names. Nothing. She felt her head begin to sway. This couldn't happen.

At the third list, Annie reluctantly looked over every pairing from bottom to top. There at the top were two names.

Annie Leonhardt and Bertholdt Fubar.

**Yeah, so that was the first part. Hope ya'll enjoyed. Kind of…? It's not really meant to be a nice story even if it is kind of a Bert/Annie romance. Reviews and criticisms welcome. I don't know for sure if I will continue or not. **


	2. Don't Move

**Chapter 1: Don't Move**

"Bert, come on." Reiner leaned against the storage room door, sighing. "You're going to have to face this sooner or later."

Inside the closet, Bertholdt pulled his knees up to his chest, not of his own choice, but to fit his long legs in the small space. With his chin resting on his legs, the boy stared into the darkness. Not only had he been sweating since the announcement, but the deep blush on his cheeks refused to fade. The heat from it soaked into his pants, burning his legs.

"Bertholdt, I am giving you until the count of one to get your ass out here." The door creaked as Reiner pushed off of it to get a running start.

Bertholdt did not move.

Huffing, Reiner bellowed, "One!" and ran into the door.

With a splintering crack, the wood broke under his weight. On the floor, Bertholdt lay covered in chunks of the door and an irritated Reiner.

"I shouldn't have had to do that," the blond mumbled. Picking himself up and dusting off shavings, Reiner looked down at his friend.

Bertholdt did not move.

"Are you kidding me?" Reiner leaned down, picking up the tall boy and throwing him over his shoulder. "I do not have time for this, Berty. My injection is in an hour. Pull it together."

"I can't do this."

"He speaks." Reiner carried Bertholdt through the long, narrow hallways of their barracks. Reaching their shared room and flinging open the door, Reiner threw Bertholdt onto his bed. "What the hell?"

"Reiner," Betholdt pleaded. "This can't be happening. I can't do this. Not to Annie." The tall boy curled in on himself on the bed. The bed creaked as he rocked in silent sobs. "They're going to make us…and I don't…and I can't!"

Reiner sympathized with his friend, he really did. While the idea should have thrilled most guys – getting to bang a chick under orders – Reiner could feel what this would do to them. Annie, small and fierce Annie, was required to make a hybrid titan-shifter. With Bertholdt.

They were childhood friends, growing up together in the country. Forced off by their parents and the government, the trio was required to join the warrior training. Little did they know it would force them into being titans, of all things. That was part of the secret though. Titans were simply people all along. The procedure wasn't horrible. It was a simple injection into a vein anywhere on the body. It was easier though if you didn't more. Reiner found that out the hard way when his vein blew and he got poked multiple times.

Then came the training. They learned how to turn into the giant terrors with little trouble. Annie's titan form was stunning from the beginning. A lot of titans were just plain ugly, but Annie had the physique even as a twelve year old, to pull it off. Reiner had a sort of crush on her then.

Reiner's form was nothing more than sheer muscle and armor. The Officials had been impressed to say the least. But it wasn't he who shocked them completely.

Bertholdt shifted like the other two, just as easily. Except, he didn't stop shifting at 15 meters like they had. No, he went nearly four times as much. It was an underestimate to say the Officials had been pleased. They left a message for Bertholdt that he would come of great use to them someday. Maybe making a kid with Annie was that great use?

The thought shocked Reiner out of his reverie. Annie with a baby? Bertholdt and Annie?

"Reiner, you have to help us!" Bertholdt had jumped from the bed and clutched Reiner by the shoulders, peering down at the blond with crazed eyes.

"Bert, I can't. This is out of our control." He shoved the brunette off. "What you need to be doing is talking to Annie. And besides that, while this sucks, you should be thrilled. You've had a crush on her forever, this should be a dream come true." His words sounded harsh, but they needed to follow orders. That was the way of warriors. Reiner sighed, "I'm sorry, Bert." He turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Bertholdt did not move.

* * *

><p>"There are two methods for the hybrid cross experiment. Natural or artificial insemination. Really, the choice is up to you ladies which process to go through with. I know some pairs aren't exactly ideal but…"<p>

Annie ignored the thin scientist woman. In one of the larger rooms of her building, the girls whose names were on list 3 gathered for preparation. While other sections got their injections, Annie was required to learn about impregnation. The idea had her blushing and disgusted at the same time. _I am sixteen years old and the want me to carry a titan baby? Screw that._ Annie's face never betrayed her frustrations though.

In her mind, she could see the shock on Bertholdts face when he read his name next to hers. He had passed out, of course, after. Bertl was always getting overwhelmed like that. Annie, however, had simply walked away, numb.

In the room, the other girls – maybe 15 total – all listened intently. Annie could tell they were just as uncomfortable with the idea. Forced to carry babies. Hadn't their bodies been through enough?

"That is all, ladies. We expect those of you using the natural option to begin trying as soon as your cycles allow. This is a great way for us to advance titan-shifter abilities. The idea gives me such chills. Can you just see it, combined titan powers? Just imagine that colossal boy mixed with one of you…the possibilities."

Annie's cheeks burned but she felt a surge of pride. She had been paired with Bertholdt, the "colossal boy" himself. What the two of them could bring genetically to the table would have to be amazing….

"Ugh!" Annie screamed and clutched the sides of her head. "I can't think like this! Are you all mad?!"

The woman stopped talking at Annie's outburst. "I'm sorry, but what's the problem, child?"

Annie sobered and glared at the woman. The amount of trouble she could get in for refusing orders was too great a risk. "Nothing. I'm feeling a bit ill. May I be excused?"

* * *

><p>Reiner's snores echoed through the small room. It normally never bothered Bertholdt, as he was a deep sleeper. But that night it punched into his skull, loud and unstoppable. He's debated waking Reiner or chucking a pillow at, but didn't have the guts. His friend needed the sleep.<p>

A new serum sang through Reiner's veins. Supposedly it would help with his endurance levels in titan form, keeping him from burning out too fast. The shot made him exhausted though. Luckily he would have any trials with it until he finished several more rounds of the chemical injections.

Thinking of the requirements made Bertholdt's despair return full force. The sweat ran down his forehead and palms. Annie's face filled his mind. Her long nose and golden hair. The small form of her body, so short standing next to his. The way she only ever smiled when she was with him or Reiner. The bright blue of her cold eyes.

"I need to talk to her," he muttered. Bertholdt pulled his legs over the side of his bed and stood. With his pants and a shirt on, he left the room as silently as possible.

Bertholdt knew roughly where Annie's room was in the girls' dormitory. He'd been there once by accident several years prior, though Annie never knew. The thought alone embarrassed him. He needed to focus on avoiding the night watch and not waking anyone.

Up two flights of stairs and down several corridors, Bertholdt found what he thought to be her room. Annie had a single, unsurprisingly. No one wanted to room with her after an incident with her previous roommate. There had been a spat between the two of them, Annie had pulled out her dad's martial arts techniques, and the other girl had lost several teeth and gained a concussion. Bertholdt remembered Annie's regret afterward, though she never showed anyone else those feelings.

Deciding not to knock, Bertl opened the door quietly and stepped inside. The small alone screamed _Annie_ to him. He smiled, but felt that awkward blush and sweat arise. He's have to get over this to be with her.

The thought caught him off guard. He's have to have sex with Annie.

_It's not right. None of this is right._

He eased farther into the room, trying to make out a shape that would be a bed and a small girl. Bertl ghosted his hands through the air and finally made contact with sheets. He stepped forward, reaching more to find her face. Except there was no body on the bed.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

Bertholdt jumped straight out of his skin and hit his head on the low ceiling of the room. It was so late and so quiet that the noise shocked him more than the person behind the voice.

"Annie!" Bertholdt stammered. She stood, a silhouette to the hallway light, in the narrow doorway.

"Bertl?" she started. "What are you doing here?" Her voice sounded angrier than she wanted to be. She wasn't mad at him and it wasn't fair to take out such frustrations on him either.

"I-" Bertholdt shuffled back on his feet, trying to increase the space between them. "I needed to talk to you."

She could see the red on his cheeks. Well, not just his cheeks, but his entire face. "In the middle of the night? In my room?" She turned to shut the door and lit a candle on the table on her other side. The glow illuminated the dark room enough for her to see him fully. Hair ruffled from sleep – or lack of, due to the dark circles under his green eyes. She wanted to push the straying strands back into their normal Bertholdt positions across his forehead. His clothes too were wrinkled and unlike how he usually appeared. The last time she'd seen him like this was when they were young children. She stepped passed him and sat on the edge of her mattress.

Bertholdt continued to stare at her, silent.

Finally Annie muttered, "sit" and patted the spot next to her on the bed. Next to her his size always seemed so much more significant. He hadn't always been that tall, but now that he was, it made their contact more strained. She tucked her legs up under herself and leaned against his shoulder. Bertholdt jumped at her touch. "You know," she said, quiet, "this is never going to work if you can't stand to be near me without freaking out. I know I'm not the ideal partner, but try to act like you enjoy my company."

_She thinks I don't like her?! _Bertholdt gaped down at the blond next to him. "Wha-?"

"You always flinch away from me, so I don't know how we're going to pull of the sex thing if you can't even touch me." She spoke so nonchalantly that Bertholdt wasn't sure what to say. "And yes," she continued, "we are going with the 'natural' way. I can't stand the way they described the artificial shit. The less needles and time it takes to get this out of the way, the better." She leaned into him again, testing his patience with her. This time Betholdt did not lean away.

"Annie."

"Berty."

"Ugh, no. Don't call me that."

Annie's voice softened as she looked up at him. "What do you need, Bertholdt?"

With a sigh he murmured, "I don't know if I can do this to you." Bertl turned his face away and moved back on the bed. He covered his face with his large hands and pulled his legs up to his chest. It was like the closet all over again. The despair crashed down on him.

"Do I scare you that much?" Annie leaned back to meet him. She gently pulled his hands from his face and put them in her lap. With her fingers interlaced with his, she whispered, "I'm sorry it has to be me."

Bertholdt's eyes shot open, green blazing into blue. "No, Annie." He sat up quickly and yanked his hands free. Placing them on both sides of her face he spoke, "It's not that. Honestly, if there's anyone I could be paired with I'm glad it's you." The words rushed out with so much confidence that Bertholdt was almost sure it wasn't him speaking at all. "It's that I care for you, and I respect you, too much to do this to you."

A small tear broke from Annie's gaze and fell toward Berhtoldt's thumb. He smiled gently at her and wiped the tear away. "I never wanted to do it this way, but I guess there's no choice left." Bertholdt continued to stare into her sapphire eyes as he leaned in closer. Their breath intermingled in a swirling bit of heat between their faces. Annie looked down at his lips and closed the distance.

This kiss would have thrilled him. If only it had happened any other way.

**Hey guys! So I got two reviews, which helped push me to write another 2000 words. Yay! Like I said, I will continue this if I get enough feedback. I hope you are enjoying it.**

**Also, I bumped the rating up to M just because I'm not sure how into things I am going to get. There will be violence eventually, so I guess that will win the rating anyway. Honestly, I am more comfortable writing gore than sexual stuff…ugh. **

**Also also, the basic plot of this will eventually follow that of the original series. So yes, the trio will meet up with the 104****th**** and whatnot. It'll get there. For now, just enjoy some Bert/Annie fluff and fun….UNTIL EVERYTHING GOES BAD MWAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Review Pwease?**


	3. Reiner's Advice

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long. A lot has happened in the last month or so. I had finals and a lot of traveling…I literally drove from the U.P. to St. Louis. I also had a family incident and the holidays. It's just been crazy and I couldn't get around to writing when I was feeling so **_**meh**_**. But here's chapter 2. It's a bit of a filler – sorry about that. I kind of wanted to show the bro-ness between Reiner and the other two (of course over meals). Hope you enjoy! I'll try to get this updated faster now that things have settled. BTW – THANKS for the reviews. It means a lot that people are reading this. **

**-Missy**

"Where've you been?" Reiner glared pointedly from across the table at Bertholdt. He took another large bite of toast and brushed the crumbs from his chin. "You're like a fucking ghost. I woke up and you weren't in your bed. What gives?"

Bertholdt reddened and looked away as he tried to take a seat. "I-."

Reiner burst into a loud laugh. "Save it." The blond put a hand up to reassure his friend. "I don't want to know." Reiner dropped the toast and started to spoon oatmeal into his mouth. "Where's Annie?"

"She's sleeping," Bertl muttered.

"Annie doesn't sleep in," Reiner said. "What'd you do to her?"

"Nothing! We were talking and stayed up late." Bertholdt started to eat his own breakfast. "She just seemed exhausted."

Reiner thought for a minute, testing words on his tongue. "Did you two come to an understanding…? Ya know, about this whole situation?" He made a circling gesture with his spoon.

Bertl nodded silently.

"Good. Well, I hate to leave you, buddy, but I've got to get some bloodwork done and my second round of shots." Reiner stood from the bench and picked up his tray of food. "See ya."

"Yeah," Bertholdt mumbled. "Bye."

* * *

><p><em>I kissed him. <em>Annie scowled at her reflection in the dirty mirror. Dark bags hung under her eyes and her hair dangled stringy across her cheeks. She splashed cold water onto her face and closed her eyes. _Why did I kiss him? _

Grabbing a towel, she sighed. Annie had never kissed a boy in her life. Not until that night. Her cheeks grew warm.

"This shouldn't bother me!" Annie's hands clenched into fists around the towel. _It was just a kiss! We're going to be fucking each other soon, so what should it matter, _she thought.

_ Maybe because you have some small feelings for him…_

Annie jumped at the loud knock coming from the bathroom door. "Are you almost done in there?" a voice called.

The blond quickly dried her face and pulled open the large wooden door. "Yeah, here." Annie brushed past the girl that was waiting.

"Hey, wait!" The girl called hesitantly, causing Annie to stop. "You're one of the girls that's part of the hybrid project, right?"

Annie turned to look at the other girl. She had auburn hair and tiny freckles that dotted her cheeks. Her green eyes looked petrified. "Yes," Annie answered. She recognized the girl, but couldn't place a name to the face.

She relaxed a bit. "Me too!" She said as she stepped closer to Annie in the corridor. "I'm Giselle, by the way…but most of my friends call me Gisa. Not that I'm really friends with _them_ anymore…" She continued to ramble causing Annie to lose interest quickly. "…and I got paired with this guy, Marcel. I think he's a friend of yours?"

"More like a friend of a friend," Annie muttered. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Huh?" Gisa looked curiously at Annie. "Well, there aren't a lot of us in this experiment, and I thought maybe we could be friends? We're all going to be pregnant soon and may as well have other girls to talk with." She laughed a bit. "I'm terrified to do this alone!"

Annie turned on her heels and started to walk away.

"Where're you going?" Gisa's hands suddenly gripped onto Annie's arm. "Don't you wanna be friends?" She looked hurt.

Annie huffed a loud sigh. "You're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

And then Gisa was hugging her. "I knew it! I knew we could be friends!"

* * *

><p>"She hugged you?" Reiner eyed Annie questioningly. "And you let her?! HA!" He erupted into laughter.<p>

"She's annoying. I feel bad for Marcel." Annie glowered at her lunch. It consisted of a green soup and plain sandwich. She didn't want to touch it, let alone eat it.

"Marcel?" Reiner stopped his amusement at her discomfort. "What's she got to do with Marcel?"

"Oh, those two are paired together like me and Bertl." Annie took the first bite of her meal only to gag.

"Ah," Reiner concluded. "Speaking of you and Bertl. I heard you two were up late _talking_ last night. Care to elaborate on that, Annie?" He grinned like a devil.

"Do you want me to dislocate your shoulder again?" She didn't even look at him as she spoke and he began laughing again.

"You guys are a pair, aren't you? Neither will talk." But Reiner's face softened a bit. "Look, I know this is hard for you both. Hell, I think old Berty's going to have a conniption one of these days." He chuckled a bit but turned serious again. "But Annie," Reiner waited to meet her gaze before continuing, "please take care of him. That boy feels a lot more than he shows."

"Reiner, I have no intention of doing anything to him intentionally. We're friends."

"Yeah, I know." He grinned at her. "Now, are you gonna eat that?"

* * *

><p><em>A few weeks later<em>

"So I was wondering," Gisa started as she combed thin fingers through her hair. "Have you and that Bertholdt guy started yet?"

The idea didn't even make Annie flinch.

The question was expected. Everyone involved in this experiment had been asking as of late. Annie had had several discussions with doctors in the compound as well as other girls. They all wanted to know how things were going in the bedroom.

"Of course," she replied curtly.

"Wha-? Really?" Gisa stopped her fidgeting and focused on Annie. "And?"

Annie sighed. "And it's sex, I don't know what you want me to say." Still, she looked away to hide the blush creeping up her neck and cheeks.

"Nothing I guess. I just wanted to see how far behind I am." Gisa laughed nervously. "I can't get Marcel to even look at me. We're going to get punished if we don't produce."

"I would say 'seduce him,' but that didn't really work for Bertholdt," Annie said. She thought back to the first night they had tried to _do it._

It had taken nearly an hour to get Bertl to just remove his shirt. Annie had tried everything she could think of in her virgin mind. She'd practically stripped in front of him and even tried to make it look "sexy."

It hadn't worked.

Bertholdt had curled into himself again, hands covering face and sweating profusely while she stood on in her underclothes watching. To say the least, they didn't get the job done that night.

She had confronted Reiner about it the next afternoon at lunch. His only advice was to let Bertholdt be the one in charge. "Let him be a man, Annie. He can assert himself when he wants to."

So that night, instead of trying to coax him out of his clothes, she allowed him to remove hers. He was hesitant as ever, but seemed to enjoy the idea of being the one in command of the situation. It probably helped that he could then explore her body not just with his eyes, but his hands as well. He made no move to really _touch_ her; in fact he was very much trying to avoid contact. But contact was made anyway when Annie would shift slightly so her breast would rub his hand or when she allowed her lips to ghost his arms. Bertholdt, of course, would jump and mutter apologies.

By the third night, Annie had him pinned to the bed with his shirt thrown across her room and her shirt on the way off. Slowly Bertl was becoming more comfortable with the idea of sex.

"Maybe that would work, though!" Gisa's loud mouth broke Annie from her thoughts.

"Seduction? Yeah, maybe."

"Thanks, Annie! I'll try it tonight, for sure. He'll have to notice me then. I get him to meet me when my roommate's out and we'll get this ball rolling!" She seemed far too excited for Annie's taste.

"Yeah." Annie stood slowly from her spot on the floor. Since they were no longer allowed to attend training during the day, Annie's mornings were filled with sleeping and afternoons with the ramblings of Giselle. It was boring beyond belief. She missed her hand-to-hand combat practice. It was one of the few connections she still had to her true home. "Giselle," she whispered. "Were you forced to become a warrior?"

Gisa's bright smile dropped clear off her face. "You mean, forced to come here and become a titan?"

"Yes. Did someone else decide for you?"

"I guess that's how it happened. My mother suggested it one day, and kicked me out the door the next. She was mad about government control and wanted me to be a part of fixing it. 'Humans are the worst kind of monster. They only lose themselves.'" She turned thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "Of course none of us knew we would become _real_ monstersafter signing up.

"Becoming a titan is the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. And my titan isn't even that great. I'm weak in that form…the only thing I'm good for is climbing! And Marcel's titan isn't any better. I don't know what they expect of us." She looked at Annie. "But I've seen you! Annie, you're terrifying when you transform. I can't even imagine how scary your and Bertholdt's kid will be if he can transform. He'd be tall and strong and faster than anything."

"I hadn't given it that much thought." Annie sat down in a chair before turning back to Gisa. "But Giselle," she said quietly, "how do they know this is genetic? The transformation, I mean. What if this is all for nothing? What will happen to us then?

"I guess we go back to being real warriors."

"But we'll be mothers."

"I don't think they will let us," Gisa said sadly. "As soon as these kids are born, they will be poked and prodded and tested for every bit of information possible. Maybe we get to raise them, but they'll either be titans or not. And if they're not…well, then the Officials will wait until they're old enough to transform with the same injection we had. It's always about having more to fight."

Annie didn't want to think the world could be so cruel. But there she was, trained from a young age to fight and kill. And then sent from her home with her two closest friends to be turned into a monster. Annie wasn't sure if the world could get darker. But then again, it wasn't up to her.

As Bertholdt would say, _I have no will of my own_.


End file.
